UK back to national lockdown as COVID-19 cases surge

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Attempting to curb the spread of COVID-19, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that lockdown measures will take effect immediately, which will continue until mid-February.
• Statistics show that the U.K almost reach 55,000 new coronavirus cases the previous day.
• As of today, the United Kingdom has a total of 2.65 million COVID-19 cases and facing a new virus strain that has a higher infection rate. 

To curb the spread of the new COVID-19 variant, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for a nationwide lockdown that will last until the middle of February this year.

With the new measures, which will take effect immediately, elementary and secondary schools, along with colleges, will be shut down for physical attendance,  except kids of key personnel. Students of the universities should stay home until mid-February at the least.

Establishments that are declared non-essential, including restaurants and hair salons, will not be operational, but diners will be limited to delivery services.

On Monday, England listed over 26,600 coronavirus cases admitted in hospitals, which was a 30% increase from last week’s numbers.

In his public statement, Johnson said the nation now has the new variant of the infection, and they are alarmed and upset at the rate at which the virus is spreading.

On the same day, Scotland also confirmed that it is ordering a COVID-19 lockdown.

The latest restrictions in Scotland, which began Tuesday and will be effective until the end of January, will limit the movement of people, with residents only allowed to go out for essential purposes. Under the measure, crowds will also be limited with only up to two individuals from different families, excluding children. In-person learning will also be postponed for the majority of students.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland First Minister admitted that they are more worried now than they were ever were since March 2019.  She added that it was crucial to be strict on the interactions between people to control the spread of the virus and eventually bring the situation back to normal as the vaccination program continues.

Scotland, which has a decentralized government system, has frequently enforced firmer COVID-19 restrictions than in England during the epidemic. Johnson explained early Monday that there is a need to implement stricter measures.

Currently, the United Kingdom has reached 2.65 million cases of coronavirus. On Sunday alone, 54,990 new infections were reported, according to Johns Hopkins University analysis. 

On Monday, the U.K.  also became the first country in the world to start giving AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine as soon as the authorization for emergency use was given last week.

The NHS England reported that the first shot was administered to an 82-year-old patient undergoing dialysis, Brian Pinker, at Oxford University Hospital. Pinker said he was happy having the injection as he is anticipating to celebrate his wedding anniversary with his wife next month.

Source: Fox News